“However, there shall be a distance between you and it of about two thousand cubits by measurement. Do not come near it, so that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” Joshua 3:4 NASB About two thousand cubits – Think about this! God instructs…
He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Colossians 1:18 NASB Firstborn from the dead – Clearly Yeshua was not the first human being to be raised from the dead. Every theologian recognizes this. Then…
Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say. Philemon 1:21 NASB Confidence – If we pay attention of the use of this Greek term (pépoitha) in the LXX, we discover that it often translates the Hebrew root bṭḥ (baṭaḥ). Paul could…
Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Philemon 1:20 NASB Benefit – We’re reaching the end. Just one more remark and Paul will wrap up his appeal. And since we’re reaching the end, it’s time to back off a bit from the aggressive exhortation. Now Paul lightens up. …
I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). Philemon 1:19 NASB You owe to me – “I really don’t want to bring this up. It’s not something that needs to be mentioned among friends. But—just…
But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; Philemon 1:18 NASB Wronged you – Paul speaks the impossible. He suggests to Philemon, the slave owner, that Onesimus might not have done anything wrong. “But if” plants the thought that running away wasn’t unlawful. In fact,…
If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. Philemon 1:17 NASB Partner – Perhaps we need to add some additional synonyms to the English translation “partner.” The Greek term is koinōnós, obviously connected to the familiar koinōnía, also from the root koinós. This group of Greek words is all about sharing. Whether it is…
no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. Philemon 1:16 NASB More than – We often read this verse with Pollyanna eyes. That is to say, we think that Philemon won’t view Onesimus as a…
For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, Philemon 1:15 NASB Perhaps – One of the greatest blessings of life is that virtually any circumstance can be interpreted in more than one way. Of course, it’s also a curse, but that’s how life works. What is…
but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will. Philemon 1:14 NASB By compulsion – It doesn’t work, does it? Legislated morality, I mean. No matter how many laws or how many threats and punishments, you simply…
